The Missing Hokage
by Me1232123
Summary: After the council of Konoha decide to kick Naruto out of the village, Tsuande doesn't just sit by and watch this happen. Respond to Perfect Lionheart's challenge. Rated T for now, might change in the future.
1. Chapter 1

The Missing Hokage - A story by me - Idea gotten from Perfect Lionheart

Author's Note: I decided to do this after reading through all of Perfect Lionheart's Chuunin exam day, a great story that I don't recommend to the weak of heart. However this story might not be that great, seeing that I haven't been writing for that long and that I don't have a beta reader. Though that doesn't mean I won't try to live up to the challenge. Wish me luck everyone (by luck I mean give me reviews). Also as a little side note, I may be using some concepts from Perfect Lionheart's story which shouldn't matter that much in the beginning. If by some chance anyone reads my other story and wants me to continue with it, then I might do so, though you have to tell me.

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto and all that jazz, belongs to that one guy who isn't doing that great of a job with it (though it doesn't mean I don't watch/read it).

" " ---- Talking of course

' ' ----- Thinking

( )----- Demon talk (while in Naruto's head)

So without further a due, the story presents itself. Please enjoy.

~~~~~~~~~~In the Beginning~~~~~~~~~~

In the beginning there was a battle, a battle between two powerful ninja to decide who gained control over the new village of Konoha. This massive battle that was fought would create a valley in that location, a valley that was justly named "The Valley of the End." In fact, two giant statues were erected here to honor that battle, so that future generations may remember what exactly happened at that location. Who would have guessed that a similar battle would occur at the same place between similar, yet not as skilled, ninja? Of these two ninja was a Uchiha and a Uzumaki; the first fighting for the prospect of power, and the second fighting for friendship and family.

This battle would end differently then the one in a different universe had ended. Before it ended by the Uchiha beating the only person that had ever tried to be an actual friend to him. Though by some twist of fate, Naruto had won in the battle of good vs evil. However some people wouldn't say that he won exactly, seeing how the both of them were passed out when Kakashi arrived at the scene. It was an amazing feat that the two of them had managed to land on the ground instead of land in the water where the would have most likely drowned.

"Didn't expect this to happen," Kakashi honestly stated after checking that both of them were alive though knocked out. Kakashi had figured that Naruto wouldn't have a chance of beating the Uchiha boy that he had trained himself. Overcoming the cursed seal that Sauske had as well as the sharingan was an amazing feat, a feat that Kakashi wanted to know how he accomplished. In the end though, Kakashi was glad that the both of them were alive and that they would be coming back to the village in more or less one piece.

Though there is only one reason Kakashi would have gotten why this battle changed so greatly then it had in a different time and or universe. That reason was that Naruto was tired of Sauske's arrogant attitude and unleashed all of his power into his famous rasengan. It was thought that Sauske got away before because Naruto held back not wanting to hurt his friend to badly on getting him back, even though he said he would break all of his bones to get him back to the village. So instead of getting beaten back by Sauske's chidori Naruto had pushed another surge of power into the rasengan, using the power of the fox to its full potential.

Kakashi did a few hand seals and summoned some dogs to aid him in taking the two genin back to the village. After this day Kakashi wouldn't be surprised if the village did something to reward the Uzumaki boy, maybe even look past the Kyuubi that was sealed inside of him. However that thought was a bit of a stretch, though who knew what the people would think of Naruto once they figured out he beat the Uchiha. So without further a due, Kakashi made his way back to the Village hidden in the leaves.

~~~~~~~~~~Konoha, a day later~~~~~~~~~~

There was shock and confusion among the ninja world when they figured out that Sauske had decided to leave the village. Some of the ninja had figured out that there was a chance that he might leave the village, that wasn't the biggest surprised of the news. No one expected that Naruto, the seemingly dead last of the ninja world, would be the one that brought the Uchiha back. To some this wasn't that unexpected, for they knew that he had beaten Garra of the Sand, another person with a demon sealed within him. Also to those few people they knew how he had helped in the defeat of Zabuza, one of the swordsman of the mist. Though with all good news there came some bad as well.

Bad news came in the form of Sauske, the last Uchiha. The biggest problem with the Uchiha was that he had tried to run away from the village and join one of the most dangerous criminals out there in the world, Orochimaru the Snake Sannin. So this would mean that the Uchiha would have to be imprisoned and kept imprisoned until it was deemed safe to let him out again. This news was a crushing blow to a lot of fangirls out there, seeing how they so adored the last of the Uchiha to only see him thrown into a prison where they wouldn't likely see them again.

Since it was known that Orochimaru wanted Sauske, he was being kept in a super secret jailing facility in the Hokage palace itself. This was mostly to keep Sauske safe from the clutches of the snake sannin, for Sauske wasn't able to use chakra that efficiently anymore. The reason for this was the demon chakra that came from Naruto in his last attack. After the demon chakra over powered the power of the cursed seal, the chakra went through Sauske's body as well. The chakra from the demon fox did not mix well with the influence that came with the cursed seal, rendering the chakra in Sauske to become erratic to say the least.

Naruto had no idea that there would be a consequence to unleashing more power from the demon fox, willing wanting the beast to help him beat Sauske. This allowed the seal to become a little more lose than it had been before, which was starting to bring about changes in Naruto. These changes were not being felt by Naruto; well at least not much; instead these changes were felt by the people around him, feeling that there was something wrong with the chakra inside of him. This disturbance of chakra also spread through the ninja ranks and people were starting to wonder what happened to the genin that had beat all of the odds.

~~~~~~~~~~Hokage's Office~~~~~~~~~~

"We are going to banish Naruto Uzumaki from Konoha," Homura Mitokado said in a commanding tone as he entered the Hokage's office along with Koharu Utatane. The command that was issued by Mitokado didn't hit Tsunade until two minuets later, which during that time she just sat there staring at the two of them just process what was suddenly declared. There was no way that she heard what she thought she heard. Hell, this was the child of the Fourth Hokage that they were talking about, not a simple matter in the least. This was when she realized that she was halfway through signing an approval for a mission, the command stunning her.

"What was that you said?" Tsunade asked as she finished signing the paper before her, she needed to be sure if they were talking about what she thought they were talking about.

"It is in the best interest of Konoha that we get rid of Naruto," this time Utatane spoke up rephrasing the statement that Mitokado had stated and going farther, "In light of recent discoveries we have concluded that the seal on the Kyuubi is getting weaker. We don't know if the seal may come off entirely, though it is a too much of a risk to take." Pausing for a second to collect her thoughts, she was soon talking again. "Also due to the combined attack by Sound and Sand we would not be able to fight back against the demon if it was released, which would lead to our downfall." On that note she stopped, figuring that it should be good enough of a reason to get rid of the boy.

"You can't be serious!" Tsunade declared as she stood up violently slamming her hands on the desk as she did so, "Didn't Naruto just go out and get the Uchiha back? Preventing one of the most dangerous missing-nin in the world from getting his hands on him? Also wasn't Naruto the one that saved the village from the Jinchuuriki from sand, preventing who knows how many lives from ending?" Tsunade was angry, very angry about these turns of events. Just when she thought she could relax the council had to bring this to her, wanting to get rid of the main reason she came to Konoha.

"We are dead serious," this time Mitokado said speaking for the both of them, "Though you do present some good points, if the demon fox got lose in the village there would be death and destruction on an unrealized level. There is no possible way we can risk that chance. Remember what happened all those years ago? Do you want that happening again?" After that the two of them put stoic faces on, not willing to budge from the decision they made. Even if Tsunade would have tried to argue her point they would just use the reason that it was for the sake of the villagers and not for their own safety. Tsunade figured it out after yelling at them for a few minuets and they just had that stone expression on their faces. If there was ever a time where Tsunade felt more helpless, she would be hard pressed to find one.

Shizune was out getting a spot of tea when this all happened, and when she came back she was surprised to see the Hokage with such a serious face. Instantly she knew that something had gone on when she had stepped out for a little break, but it must have been something life changing to make the Slug Princess care so much about it. It wasn't like it was that bad of a thing, more surprising than anything, in fact it was a good thing when she got serious, then there wouldn't be anything that could get in her way. Though what Shizune didn't know was that Tsunade was going to some very drastic things during the rest of this day and the next, acting fast to make sure that Naruto's future wasn't ruined.

"Shizune!" Tsunade demanded, causing said person to jump a bit, "Make us some very strong tea, we have a long night ahead of us." Tsunade, being as clever as she was, had already thought up a plan of action. This plan was going to be drastic and needed to be pulled of exactly right so she could get away with it, a plan that would make sure that Naruto would be safe and that would also get back at the council for wanting to banish him. Although it did seem a little childish, Tsunade didn't care about the consequences of what she was doing. There was no way she was going to let the council get rid of Naruto's, as well as her own, hopes and dreams.

~~~~~~~~The Next Night~~~~~~~~~~

Naruto woke up with a start the day after the day he was brought back to Konoha. For a while Naruto was confused about where he was and what he was doing there, figuring that he should be out getting Sauske back. The last thing he actually remembered before now was making a deal the with the demon fox within him, after realizing he didn't have enough power to beat the cursed seal Sauske. However, no matter how much Naruto tried, he couldn't remember what exactly that deal was. It wasn't a good thing that he couldn't remember what the deal he made with a nine tailed demon within himself was. He did know that the deal he made wouldn't hurt him in any way, hell, it was guaranteed to make him stronger. However he wasn't so sure that it wouldn't hurt the people around him.

Moving to get up from the bed he was laying on, Naruto felt a rush of pain flow through him as he tried to accomplish that action. Naruto figured this pain was what was left over from the gaping hole that Sauske made in his chest with the chidori, that was just healed later with the demon chakra. Also it could be due to all of the fire attacks or just getting hit with Sauske's physical blows, any of those reasons could be why there was such great pain. However, unknown to Naruto, none of those reasons were why he was actually hurting as much as he was, it was because of what the demon fox was doing to him. The pain would go down in a bit of time, but right now Naruto had some other things to worry about.

"Where am I?" Naruto asked aloud to the air as he found himself in a room unlike his own, very confused and the such. It was a small room, about seven feet by eight feet in all. There was only one light that hung down from the center of the ceiling that was honestly not all that bright in terms of light. The bed he was now sitting on was was a twin bed, with a single sheet and a pillow on it. The only other thing that was of note in the room was a toilet that sat in the corner of the room, a strange place for a toilet especially in a room with a bed in it. Taking a look at the door Naruto noticed that it was a metal door with a single slot near the bottom, almost at the level of the floor, a strange place this was.

"Wait a sec..." Naruto said aloud as he started putting all of the pieces together. A single bed, toilet in the bedroom, a metal door with a weir slot in it... He was in a prison! Why would he be in a prison? The only reason he could think of being here was if he was caught by some enemy ninja, but Naruto was in Konoha during this last mission to get Sauske. He might have been captured by Orochimaru and be in one of his bases, but Naruto doubted that seeing as it would be fairly difficult for the missing-nin to get in to Konoha again after all that has happened. Naruto couldn't place the reason why he was in a jail cell, seeing no logical reason in his not so logical mind. Getting up Naruto tried to open the metal door to no avail, using any and all jutsu he could think of using in this situation. Apparently they made prisons now a days that even ninja couldn't get out of, his attacks not doing anything to the metal door.

However soon Naruto's mind stopped wondering why he was in a jail cell and started wondering how everyone else was doing, and if he had managed to beat Sauske with that last blow of his. Laying back in the bed again after his futile attempts to open the door, his mind continued thinking about how everyone was doing, how all of his allies were doing right now. It had been a hard fight going from one sound ninja to the next, but they had made it and eventually got up to Sauske. Naruto was just hoping that none of his comrades had died during their fights with the Sound four or anyone else they may of encountered. However knowing his luck, it wasn't likely that any of them had died, for Naruto was a lucky person like that. Though anything could change, seeing that he was now located in a prison cell instead of his own bed at his crappy apartment was proof of that.

(Luck may have been on your side till now, but you're not going to be so lucky anymore.) The Kyuubi inside of him stated out of nowhere. Naruto was a little confused at this turn of events, seeing how he has never actually talked to the Kyuubi before besides begging the demon inside of him for power. Most of the time Naruto was just intimidated by the demon sealed within him, since he always wanted Naruto to take the seal off and all. So Naruto usually refrained from going inside his mind scape where he and the demon could talk, not wanting to see the demon that was forced upon him.

However, before Naruto could start talking back to the demon, he was knocked out by some strange force, a force that came from outside the cell. A moment later two people came into the room and picked up the knocked out form of Naruto, knocked out by a genjutsu, his greatest weakness. Even though the person that had come to get him wasn't that great at genjutsu it would be more than enough for the thick headed genin in the cell room. However the guard wasn't so simple to get past, being forced to knock him out with a swift kick to the family jewels.

The plan that the Lady Hokage had thought up needed Naruto to be knocked out, if it had any hope of being accomplished. Seeing that if Naruto knew what she was doing he would probably do anything in his power to fight against her. It was really sad that she had do to this without Naruto knowing about it, but there was no other choice. If she wasn't doing what she was doing right now then Naruto would end up way worse than he was before. Tsunade was furious about what was going on in this stupid village, the council deciding something and not even letting her have a say in it.

"Damn it!" Tsunade yelled out suddenly and punched the metal door off it's hinges on her way out of the cell, anger gathering inside of herself after thinking about the past day. That act of rage had caused Shizune to jump as she was accompanying Tsunade in fulfilling her plan, knowing full well that she couldn't leave her alone to do this herself. However Shizune made the smart decision and decided to a little distance between herself and the Hokage as they moved to leave the building, not wanting to get too close to her when she was furious like this. Calming Tonton down as they departed the building, Shizune knew that things were changing, drastically.

~~~~~~~~~~South entrance of the Village Hidden in the Leaves~~~~~~~~~~

Arriving at the south gate of the village, Tsunade, Shizune, and their pet Tonton were almost ready to leave the village. One thing was missing in this entourage though, they needed one more person to join their little group. It would have to be someone that would get along well with Naruto, someone that would be able to help their party as well. First off they started looking at people who were the best in the genin community, though they have been known to have some bad relations with Naruto. Then they looked for a genin that Naruto knew pretty well, but they didn't work with what they needed for the team. Actually the hardest part of this secret mission was finding out who they were going to take with them, because it would seem that no one cared about the boy with the Kyuubi sealed within him.

~~~~~~~~~~Courtesy of a flashback jutsu, we find ourselves at the Hokage's office earlier that day~~~~~~~~~~

"We need someone to take along for Naruto, he can't survive without someone around his age," Tsunade stated after finishing some paperwork needed for the mission. More specifically some paper work that would allow them to get away from this place without anything against them, as well with some money with them as well. Though Tsunade knew that the paper work was the easiest part of this secret mission, the hardest part was acting out the plan successfully.

"How about Sakura?" Shizune asked, mentioning the teammate that managed to let Sauske get away. The idea was pretty good in Shizune's mind, seeing that she was a part of his team they should get together well and make things that much easier. Though the Lady Hokage had reasons of her own why she should not be the one to come with them.

"Saukra? No I don't think that would be that great of an idea. First off, she is a Sauske worshiper, and wouldn't want to leave the Uchiha's side in any circumstance. Also Sakura wouldn't be any use to us, since she isn't that strong of a ninja. If were are to survive for a long time then we need someone who could help us out right away as well as in the long run." With that Tsunade finished with her narration, even though it didn't get them any closer to finding out who they were going to take with them.

The two of them just sat there for a few minuets, trying to figure out the missing piece of their misfit group. The answer came to Shizune first, mostly because of the fact that Shizune was more of a down to earth ninja and spent more time out in the village just examining how things were going. Thinking back to the powerful ninja needing to be a requirement, she thought of the Hyuuga clan and their powerful bloodline. After that she realized right away that there was one person that would fit perfectly in their group, Hinata Hyuuga. When she told Tsunade about the Hyuuga, a visible spark was seen in the Hokage's eyes, thing were starting to come together.

~~~~~~~~~~Returning to the present, we find ourselves again at the South Gate~~~~~~~~~~

"I'm off to get Hinata Shizune, please keep Naruto knocked out until I return," Tsunade commanded as a sort of request as well. This was the last part of their scheme, but if this part failed then she didn't know if they were going to be able to escape. Even though if anyone found about what she was doing it would be nigh on impossible for them to stop her. The only thing that would allow her to be stopped is if they figured out she wouldn't kill them, then they could go full force while she was holding back. That would lead them to get captured and Naruto's future to be utterly ruined.

"Hai," Shizune answered nodding her head in acknowledgment to the 5th Hokage. By now Shizune was gaining some paranoia as their plan proceeded. Though she knew that if there was anyone who would be able to pull this off it would be the Lady Tsunade, there was always the possibility that something horribly wrong could happen. This would just cause Shizune to pray for the best, because if something bad were to happen, it was going to happen soon, very soon.

~~~~~~~~~~The Hyuuga Compound, inside the Village~~~~~~~~~~

Arriving at the Hyuuga compound with no complications, Tsunade just needed to get Hinata and get out of there. Even though she was the Hokage of the village, she knew it was no laughing matter to infiltrate the Hyuuga Compound. Due to the fact that this compound held the secrets of the Hyuuga bloodline, it was highly guarded so that even someone with her skills would have some trouble sneaking in. So that was why she was going to take the direct approach and just ask to see the little Hyuuga, using a simple lie to gain access to the Hyuuga she wanted to see.

"I need to see Hinata Hyuuga," Tsunade stated with a tone of utmost authority to the guard at the front door. "We believe that she may of contracted a highly contagious disease during her last mission." The guard was panicked by being put into this position, but that was what Tsunade was hoping for. People that were panicked tended to make more mistakes than if they were to keep a cool and level head. The story was also fitting for what her profession was, being a medical ninja before the Hokage made the guard believe everything she said.

"Hai, right this way!" the guard exclaimed and threw open the gate to the Hyuuga complex, leading the way to Hinata's quarters. Because it was fairly late into the night by this point, there weren't many people about so there wasn't anyone to question why the Hokage was in the complex, which suited Tsunade just fine. The less and less people knew about was going on the better he plan was going. Then soon the two of them arrived at Hinata's room and Tsunade ordered the guard to stay outside.

When she entered the room she noticed that the girl she was here for was still asleep, which was good. Now all Tsunade needed to do was make Hinata look like she was sick then she could get her out of here. To accomplish that task Tsunade used a jutsu to increase Hinata's body temperature, and used some water to get her clothes wet, not wanting to wait for the sweat to do that for her. Using another jutsu to make sure that she would stay asleep, Tsunade picked up the girl and took her out of the room. Before she got out of the room, she noticed Hinata's ninja gear and quickly grabbed it, knowing she would need it later.

"How is-" the guard started saying, soon to be cut of by Tsunade.

"She is in bad shape, she needs to get to the hospital at once," Tsunade started to the guard, "I need you to tell the rest of your family to stay indoors for at least two days to make sure this disease doesn't spread. If anyone else gets sick send them to the hospital." All the guard did after that was nod and headed off towards another section of the compound, most likely to talk to some important person in charge of this place. Tsunade figured that whomever that person was going to talk to wouldn't want her to take the heir away so quickly, wanting to do their own examination before they would let the heir go. By the time they got everything sorted out, Tsunade would be long gone and the heir with her. Even though this was considered kidnapping, Tsunade was already cleared of this charge due to something she had done earlier, preparing for an event like this.

Looking down at the sleeping Hyuuga, Tsunade felt a twang of guilt by the actions she had done this night. That guilt soon went away however, due to the knowledge that this girl was going to be safer than she had ever been before in her life. Before now she would just sit in the village and could potentially be attacked for her eyes, but if she was with Tsunade one of the sannin, there was no way anyone would attack her openly. So Tsunade considered this a favor for the girl, taking some of the stress off of her life.

'No more time for reflection, I've got to get out of here,' Tsunade thought to herself as she suddenly turned from her path heading in another direction to throw off anyone that my be following her. She knew that it wasn't likely that anyone would be following due to the fact that she was the Hokage. It never hurt to make sure however, and she didn't become the sannin by not being cautious. Soon she would find herself getting closer and closer to the south gate, where she would be leaving this village for good.

~~~~~~~~~~South Gate, Everyone Present~~~~~~~~~~

Standing at the gate was the party of four that were about to leave the village. Naruto and Hinata were being roused awake by Shizune while Tsunade was looking back at the village. There was a weird feeling in her gut as she took one last look at the village she was about to leave and most likely never return to. The only reason they weren't gone yet was because she needed to let Hinata and Naruto say goodbye to the village. If she didn't let them do so, their morale would be horribly low and wouldn't survive knowing they left without one last meaningful look.

Hearing a groan from Naruto as he was the first to be awoken from the jutsu induced sleep, she noticed the four packs that were near the others. These packs contained all the gear that they would need in the future, as well as a sizable amount of money that Tsunade took from Konoha to fund their travels. Also present next to the bags was a very important scroll that Naruto was tricked into stealing a time ago, the Scroll of Forbidden Jutsu. Tsunade figured that this scroll would be very helpful in the future, providing many learning tolls for the their group.

"Hey Granny," Naruto started in a annoyed voice, "what are we doing here in the middle of the night?"

"We are going on a special mission Naruto, one that requires us to be gone from Konoha for a long time." Naruto was about to ask something else but Tsunade just held up her hand, not wanting to be interrupted. "This mission is for the good of all of us, I'll explain more when Hinata wakes up." After she mentioned Hinata Naruto looked to his side and noticed that Hinata was with them as well, being totally oblivious to the fact a moment before. That is what you would expect from the number one knucklehead ninja in Konoha. Telling Naruto that they were going on a mission was technically a lie, used to keep Naruto as calm as possible until Hinata was awake.

Noticing that Hinata was now waking up, Tsunade now owed an explanation to the two of them.

"I fully understand that the two of you are confused about why you are here in the middle of the night," she started on he little on the spot speech, "But I have formed a new team for Konoha today, and that team is called 'Team Hokage'. It is a four man team consisting of one Hokage, one Jounin, and two Chunnin." Letting that sink in a little so the two kidnapped people could comprehend what she had said, Naruto was the first to say something.

"You mean that the two of us are Chunnin now!" he exclaimed jumping into the air, all sign of sleepiness gone, "Take that Sauske-kun! Hard work beats your stupid natural talent!" Preforming a little dance, there was nothing Tsunade could do but smile at this display of joy, knowing that some pain would come later. All Hinata was doing was pushing her two fingers together nervous about being a Chunnin and being in close proximity to Naruto. Now it was time for the hard part, the part that Tsunade thought Naruto wouldn't like.

"Our team is going on a trip, a trip that will last a long time if I planned it right," she started Naruto, Hinata, and Shizune watching her as she talked. "We are leaving Konoha to do this, which would technically make us missing-nin if I haven't pardoned us from all crimes before this moment. While he are traveling Shizune and I will be training the two of you personally, so consider yourselves the luckiest ninja in Konoha."

"But why are we leaving? Wouldn't you two be able to train us if we were still in the village?" Naruto asked as he thought everything over, not wanting to leave the village he was destined to be the Hokage of.

"It's because they want to banish you from Konoha Naruto," Tsunade answered, not wanting to prolong the departure, "Because of what is in you they consider you to dangerous and want you banished where you will most likely die out on your own. It isn't fair and I know, but if I had not done what I did today. You would most likely die within a week." It was a little harsh but it was the truth of the situation. Naruto wasn't experienced enough to travel alone in the world.

"As for you Hinata, you don't have to stay with us, you may go back to the village if you want. We just chose you because we thought you would fit good with our group," she said addressing the Hyuuga now. "We will understand if you don't want to leave Konoha and stay with you friends and family. So what do you say? Stay or go?" Waiting for an answer, Naruto was to shocked to say anything, so Hinata had plenty of time to say something.

"I'll st... stay," she answered quite shocked about the situation she had found herself in. But if there was anyway she could spend time with Naruto then she would take it, even if it meant leaving the village she had grown up in. "I... I wouldn't want to make the Hokage think less of me," though that was only a small part of it, she didn't have the courage to say her true intentions even though she would be with Naruto for a long time.

"I am sorry that you didn't have the proper time to say your good byes but the best I can do is let you write out what you want to say and leave it here," and with that she gave the two of them some paper and a writing utensil each. Letting them write for a few minuets and when they were finished she took the papers and pinned them up against the wall, where a ninja would find it in a day or so. "Now take one last look, for it will be the last one you will get for a long time."

Naruto, Hinata, Shizune, and even Tsunade turned to the village and looked at what they were leaving. It pained them all to be leaving this wonderful village filled with it's corrupt leaders, but they all knew that it was for the better. After they had all turned away from the village, Tsunade motioned for the packs and each took one, Tsunade taking the giant scroll.

"Alright, let's go!" she exclaimed, taking the Hokage's hat and putting it on her head, now the official Hokage member of Team Hokage. It was going to be a long and bumpy road ahead of them, but she knew that they could survive it, being that they had some of the best ninja in Konoha in their group. Tsunade couldn't help but be a little happy about how the way things were going. If someone made a bet with her on if they were going to survive or not, she would bet on them making it.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2, of The Missing Hokage, written by Me1232123 for all my devoted fans.

I have to say I didn't expect the turnout I did when I published my story. I guess I was just expecting a few people to read it and possibly one or two reviews. However I got five reviews in the first day and even some people pming me about the story. So I thank everyone that has read and reviewed my story and for their input.

Remember, reviews are the fuel of my writing spirit. So please review.

There will also be no Naruto/Sauske of any kind in this story, I used the kun prefix out of ignorance. However, that doesn't mean that Sauske won't be making an appearance later.

So without further adieu, the second chapter.

Oh yeah, sorry for the shortish delay.

~~~~~~~~~~A dark place, found in the hearts of all of us~~~~~~~~~~

For some reason, Sasuke found himself floating in a dark space of some sort. This was a dark never experienced before in his life, a darkness that was actually starting to scare him. Feeling powerless to influence the world around him, never before in his life has he felt so helpless as he did right now. Ever since he had gotten the cursed seal from Orochimaru, he believed that there was nothing he couldn't do. Though as he tried to fall back on the cursed seal in this situation, he found that even the seal had abandoned him. Yelling with all of his might, even his voice failed him in this black void.

~~~~~~~~~~Observation Room, Hokage Palace~~~~~~~~~~

Inside the Hokage Palace was a special room, where one would be able to observe almost everyone within the Palace itself. In this room were two ANBU/medical ninja who were observing a particular screen, the screen which showed the Uchiha that was stopped from fleeing Konoha. It was a most particular case that they had on their hands. For some reason the Kyuubi chakra that had come from Naruto was messing with the cursed seal that Orochimaru put on Sasuke.

There wasn't much they could do for the boy try as they might. This was a field of medicine that had never been traveled before. Never before had these two ninja encountered anything even remotely resembling these symptoms and conditions. Even with the knowledge that Tsunade, the legendary healer, was at their disposal did not raise their spirits. For these two were very unwilling to go to help, thinking of their pride. It didn't matter that such a famous Hokage was there, since she wasn't actually there, but they didn't know that.

"Hey you," one of the two medical ninja called to another totally random ninja, "Go request some help from the Hokage and inform her of the situation."

"Hai!" this random ninja said in response to the command, leaving the current office with a swirl of leaves. The medical ninja was just hoping that there was something their Hokage could do, while he was watching the Uchiha wither in pain on the bed. If she couldn't do something about this ailment, then it would all rely upon the Uchiha to do something about his position. Though this medical nin didn't know if anything could be done against an attack by demon chakra, especially with the added attack from the cursed seal.

"Serves him right, leaving the village like that," some random ninja muttered under his breath. This comment just caused the medical ninja to sigh. It was true that Sasuke left the village on his own accord and was now paying the consequences, but everyone deserved a second chance. If being devoured by both demon and the cursed chakra wasn't punishment enough for what he did, then this medical ninja didn't know what would be fitting. If the Uchiha managed to survive this ordeal, it might just change the way he looks at life.

"What am I thinking?" the medical nin asked the world around him, receiving no response, "I've been working to hard lately, I'm going to get some tea."

~~~~~~~~~~Now Joining our great heroes, free from The Village Hidden in the Leaves~~~~~~~~~~

It had been a few hours since Team Hokage left the village, traveling in a south ward direction for the majority of the night. They were lucky that they had decided to leave the village instead of try to get into it. If they had tried to get into the village it would be next to impossible due to all the traps, patrols, and many other factors that Tsunade didn't want to worry about. However, since they were leaving the village, and that they had the Hokage with them, it made the task of escaping easier.

Naruto and Hinata had wanted to ask many a question to the Hokage as they were leaving. However Tsunade told them that all of their questions would be answered when they got a safe enough distance from the village. Tsunade didn't know what the village was going to do once they figured out they were gone, so she wanted to make sure they got far enough away to avoid getting caught. She also knew that they would be sending people after her, so she had Naruto create some shadow clones in their image and sent them in different directions while she herself created a clone to lead each group. For their path, Tsunade and Shizune used some special jutsu to get rid of their scent and to cover their trail. All of this had been planned carefully, for if there was a single mistake, they would be caught and their lives would be ruined.

It would seem that all of their worry was for naught as they progressed through the forest, escaping more easily than she had imagined. She knew that they were still short handed on the amount of ninja that they had in the village, she at least expected some resistance on their way out. Not that it mattered, since she was Hokage and they had to do what she said anyways. It was surprising thought that the village hadn't been attacked since Orochimaru came to town, seeing how the village seemed to be so weak. It could be because they had gained Sand as an ally, but that would only deter people for so long. Not that it mattered to Tsunade anymore, she didn't want anything more to do with this village. She didn't even want to come be Hokage in the first place, and so it would seem that she wouldn't be one anymore with this stunt. However that was enough reflecting on the past, Naruto was starting to get annoying and Tsunade couldn't ignore him anymore.

"What do you want Naruto?" Tsunade asked with a bit of irritation in her voice. She loved the boy, there was no denying that. If he was going to keep on bugging her about what they were going to do now she might have to punch him into next week. Though Tsunade knew she shouldn't be acting as high strung as she was, a little nervousness could do a lot to a person, and if you would believe it or not, even a Hokage.

"I was wondering when you were going to start training us?" Training was one of the only things that Naruto had on his mind at all times. The only reason he said us in his question was because of Hinata, the person made Chunnin along with himself. He figured that Hinata would be someone that could help him in his training, since she had gained strength since the Chunnin Exams. Naruto was both curious to see how much stronger she was, and how well he would fair against her strength. To Naruto, being a ninja was the second most important thing in the world, right after protecting his friends, which he considered family.

"Actually I was going to bring up that topic myself," which was the truth of the matter, they only way that they had a chance of not getting caught, or killed for that matter, was if they were stronger, "And the first thing we are going to work Naruto, is your chakra control." Tsuande heard a audible moan come from Naruto, who was seemingly remembering the times he fell into blazing hot water and also that time he was thrown off a cliff. Even though Naruto did have some chakra control training it wasn't going to be nearly enough if they were going to survive by themselves. While Tsunade and Shizune would be able to handle things in the beginning, they would need the help of the other two if some other hidden village decided to attack them or if some other unknown thing were to happen.

"Wh... what about me?" Hinata asked, wondering what she was doing since her chakra control was near perfect as it was, an upside of being a Hyuuga.

"You my young Hyuuga, shall be training with Shizune on some medical techniques," Tsunade had figured that since Hinata already had great chakra control it wouldn't be that challenging to get that skill into medicine. If she used the gentle fist along with medical techniques than she could become a force that shouldn't be reckoned with. Then if Naruto was capable of learning a thing or two about medicine then he would become much stronger as well, especially if he got the super strength that she was so famous for.

"I have plenty of chakra control, can't I just learn some awesome jutsu instead? " Naruto replied with a little bit of whine in his voice, making his voice raise up a bar or two. While Tsunade knew that this was the typical Naruto response, she couldn't help but feel a little bit agitated. Here she was, breaking this kid out of the Hokage palace, basically becoming missing ninja for the boy, and he had the gull to whine to her? While Hinata could see by Tsunade's contorted face that she was angry, Naruto, yet again oblivious to everything, was waiting for an answer from the angry Hokage.

"Oh!" Naruto exclaimed, seemingly having an epiphany, "How about showing me how you use your super strength!" Naruto had realized that he would be getting one on one training with the Hokage, something more ninja didn't dream of. Though Naruto was an idiot most of the time, he did know that training with the Hokage was like getting a lifetime supply of ramen for free. Thus, if he was in any situation that would cause him to think about a lifetime supply of ramen, he would make the best of said situation. That is, if he would live through this next moment.

"Alright," Tsunade said slyly to Naruto's request. "First you bring your arm back," Tsunade did what she said, Naruto watching with extreme interest. "Then you channel a massive amount of chakra into the arm, then release it with one blow!" By this point Shizune and Hinata had gone away from the two, moving about thirty feet off to the side. They knew what was coming and were feeling sorry for the boy that was about to meet Tsunade's wrath. Shizune knew that Tsunade never got that angry at Naruto, but right now they were in a serious time so Shizune figured that Naruto couldn't always mess around like he always does. As Shizune watched Tsunade's fist go down towards the ground, she couldn't help but close her eyes.

Brining her fist down to the ground, Tsunade released the chakra that was gathered in her arm in one moment. This would give the illusion of super strength, when actually it was more like hitting the ground with a bomb. The explosion of chakra would cause the ground where her fist contacted to shatter, causing the earth to shake. Her attack against the ground would cause a shock wave to move through the ground all around her, throwing Naruto away into a nearby tree. Even Shizune and Hinata were affected by the shock wave, though it was more like a light push than a heavy throw like it was for Naruto.

Up in the tree, Naruto was amazed at what power granny had. Trying to emulate it up in the tree, he tried to put chakra into his arm like Tsunade said to, but he didn't feel any change. Thinking about the water walk and tree climbing training and trying to apply those teachings here, he couldn't manage to do anything. Discouraged by the fact he couldn't do it on the first try without any training of the sort, Naruto just let himself fall out of the tree. While he got to his feet, he didn't realize how much her attack had hurt, even though it was only the shock wave that had hit him. Naruto knew that she had to be strong to be the Hokage, but he never actually knew how powerful someone on the Hokage level was. He might actually have to watch what he said around her, just maybe.

"Are we ready to focus now?" though Tsunade asked everyone, she only looked at Naruto. After getting a nod from the Uzumaki she continued. "Now that we have got the training tasks out of the way, I'm going to explain in more detail what we are going to do next." With that there was a pause, for Tsunade wasn't exactly sure what they were going to be doing. When she had broken Naruto and Hinata out of Konoha it had been a spur of a moment thing, she didn't really think about what they were going to do for long term. She did have some ideas about what they could do, but she wanted to have a definite plan, not some possibilities.

"Besides the training we shall be doing, there will be a lot of traveling," she started as she leaned against a tree, crossing her arms. Naruto had sat on a log, while Hinata and Shizune were standing next to each other, listening to the leader of their group. "It would be best if we didn't travel through other countries, but that may be impossible. If it is forced upon us to travel through other lands, then I shall talk more about it then." The feeling if this conversation was more like a meeting rather than a leader giving a speech. While Tsunade would be doing most of the talking, she would be open to any ideas that Naruto, Hinata, or Shizune would give her. If they were going to survive then they would all need to participate in their travels.

"I must warn you," she stated, a serious tone in her voice, "During our travels there will be many times where a stupid decision will get someone killed. So whenever we are in a bad situation, think about what will be the best for the group, do not think what will be the best for yourself." Tsunade had focused that more at Naruto and Hinata than Shizune. For those two were new to the world of Ninja. True, they had gone on some missions and had fought powerful people in their lives, they always had a leader who would be there for them. They didn't have the village of Konoha to back them anymore, so there wouldn't be any reinforcements. They were all by themselves out here.

"Now I would suggest that you all get some sleep," she suggested though it was just becoming morning, "They might, might, be coming for us soon, so we better get a few hours rest before we go off again." Going into her pack, Tsunade grabbed two travel blankets for Naruto and Hinata, who didn't have packs of their own. "We'll each take a watch, Naruto since you have the most stamina you'll have the last watch. I'll take the first." With that, Tsunade watched as her little group went to sleep. She might have gone over the top with their escape, especially with the precautions that she set up back at Konoha. There should be no one coming after them, but then again, the idiots of the council might send people after her anyways. It would be okay though, for when everyone was asleep Tsunade would put up traps around them, to keep them on the safe side.

~~~~~~~~~~Back to Konoha~~~~~~~~~~

Going back to an earlier time, there was a ninja heading towards the Hokage's room to ask for assistance. He noticed it was getting dark outside, so he didn't know if she would be there or not. It's not like it mattered to him, he didn't really want her to be there anyways. Ever since she had arrived here the medical community had been getting lax in their preparations, they figured that the Hokage would be able to handle any of the serious injuries. Also with the lax conditions that would mean that more and more people would be able to become medical ninja without having perfect chakra control. This ninja didn't like changes, so when the medical system started changing he was lost in what to do. Though he was told to get the Hokage, and that was simple enough follow.

Arriving at the office of the Hokage, the ninja knocked on the door. After a second or two passed, a voice came from the room, the voice of the Hokage.

"I am extremely busy, come back in the morning if you must," when nothing came after that for a few seconds, the ninja just turned around and headed back to where the last Uchiha was. It was a bit strange that she would be so busy when it was about time for everyone to go home. Even though she was the Hokage, she had a reputation of not doing her duties that well. The ninja just figured that she was catching up on some paperwork she had. It didn't matter that much to this ninja, he would rather be moving than just watching Sauske do nothing.

"At least I got to stretch my legs," he muttered to himself as he went back to the medical office where they could observe Sauske. It was a boring job seeing how they couldn't do anything for the boy, not really understanding what was wrong with him. While they understood that the demon chakra was affecting his system somehow, which was something they could normally fix, with the cursed seal added to the mix there wasn't much they could do but ease the pain he was having.

"She must be really busy," the ninja said again, thinking back to what she could be doing. What he didn't know was that she had created a seal that said a message during the night, and would say the opposite of that message in the day. It wasn't that complicated, since if someone knocked twice they would find out the ruse. But only an idiot or a really powerful person would knock twice on the Hokage's door. So she felt they would be safe until the same person knocked two separate times on the door. When that happened there wasn't anything else to stop them from figuring out she was gone. Hell, she had even written a little note telling what she had done, also stating what would be done if anyone came after her.

Getting back to the room where they could watch the young Uchiha, he noticed that he was still very much in the same situation, red and purple chakra visible floating around the boy. This medical ninja had no idea how he could be alive still, figuring that the chakra battle within the boy would kill most people. He had been there when the Nine tailed originally attacked, and he had seen how much damaged was caused by the chakra beast. The two chaotic chakras within this boy would most likely be the end of him. Not that it mattered much, seeing how he was more of a prisoner here than an Konoha ninja. He even had to be put in a special chakra proof chamber that could absorb any stray chakra, so it would endanger the world outside.

While people were starting to see that the Uchiha wasn't as great as they thought he was, they still had him protected at all times. The chakra room was even able to absorb chakra from the outside as well. There were two ANBU guards outside the door of the room, adding that much more security to the Uchiha. Konoha knew the value of the Sharingan and so didn't want to give up so easily. They weren't going to kill the young boy, but they weren't going to let him out of their sights any time soon. The village was actually in quite a conundrum about what they were going to do with the Uchiha. However, as long as he was writhing in pain in his special cell the council didn't need to make a decision. That time would come if he got over what was happening inside of himself.

"She's busy," was all the ninja said as he sat down at a desk looking at the Uchiha through the monitor, wondering what could be done. There were a few radical procedures, that gave the Uchiha a ten percent survival rate, but that was better than nothing. While the council wanted the boy to live, if they didn't act soon then this boy was going to die.

"Maybe Jiariya could help somehow," the one ninja who had gotten tea earlier had said, wondering if he could use a seal somehow to solve this situation, which was wishful thinking on his part. While these ninjas were experts in the way of medicine, there were often times where seals could save someone instead of medicine. It would be a long shot and he knew it, but it was better than nothing. Though there was the problem that no one knew where Jiariya was most of time, which could cause this plan to fall out as fast as it was made. If something didn't happen soon to change this situation then this boy may die, something no medic ninja wanted to happen.

"I'm going to sleep, someone get me if something happens," the lead ninja who had gotten the tea informed the rest of the poor souls. While this ninja got some rest, the rest of them would have to watch the boy just be in pain, not the most exciting job in the world believe it or not. Though the two of them were ninja and they were used to things like this, so they would live through the night. It was just by the time it was morning they wouldn't want to do anything at all.

~~~~~~~~~~The Morning After~~~~~~~~~~

Through the night there had been no improvement to the Uchiha's condition, and things were starting to look grim. There was only so much pain a person could go through before they gave up on life, and people were starting to question on how much this particular person could go through. Some of the more uncaring people were starting to make bets on how long he would last, and a surprising amount of money started to be spent on that betting circle. What was odd about the betting was that most of the ninja that partook in it placed him on dying withing a day or two, showing that they either had some insider information or they didn't care that much about the Uchiha's life. It would seem that most ninja didn't take to betrayal as easily as others.

There were rumors going around however, that put the whole Uchiha situation into second place. What rumors could possibly do that? Well, the rumor that the Hokage was missing. While most people put this off as just stupid rumors, some were taking this seriously. It wasn't normal for the Hokage not to request someone by now, seeing how it was getting well into the morning. Usually the Hokage was calling ninja left and right to do something for her, but as of now there had been no calls going forth. Though it was unusual, it didn't give any merit to the rumors.

It would be a simple matter to see if it was true or not, and that was to go see the Hokage themselves. In fact, that was what some of the ninja did. When they arrived at her room and knocked, they were told that she was busy and check in that night (she had designed the seal to change between day and night, clever no?) So this had put off any ninja getting proof whether she was there or not.

That was before Homura and Koharu decided to drop by for a visit. When the two of them arrived at her office and heard the message they would have none of what she said. Rather, they broke down the door and forced their way into her office, only to find that it was utterly, and completely, deserted of life. The only thing of interest they saw was a tilted up piece of paper with the word Hokage written on it.

Homura went over to it and opened it, then proceeded to read what was written. After finishing the document, he just let it fall over onto the desk. With a puzzled look on her face, Koharu went over and read the same document that her fellow councilperson had just read. When she had finished she dropped it in almost exactly the same fashion that he had done not a few moments earlier.

What the document had stated was that Tsunade was leaving with Shizune, Naruto, and Hinata Hyuuga. It also stated that she was taking money from the treasury to fund their travels and such, as well as the scroll of forbidden seals. The councilmen couldn't do anything about her leaving since she had declared their party an official team and that they were on a mission for the safety of Konoha, that could take years to accomplish. If they were to battle this claim it would take weeks for them to do anything, for most people in the village wouldn't want them to go against the Hokage. Well, there was Root, but no one wanted to go there, for Danzo was a maniac and almost everyone knew it.

"We will have to inform the village," said Koharu, which was blatantly obvious. So the two of them went out and sent word for all of the Jounin to assemble, for there was news that needed to be told. There was another option that Koharu knew about, and that was to keep it under wraps. However, he knew that this approach would require Tsunade to come back, and by the message she left there was no change of that happening. While he wished she would come back and make this situation easier, he was going to have to go down the hard path and inform everyone of the cold hard truth.

Sighing dramatically as the two of them approached the meeting hall, he didn't like what was soon going to happen. The village wouldn't be the same after this, the two of them knew that, if only they had known she would pull a stunt like this. But, the past is the past, and there wasn't anything they could do about it now, just try and control the damage that would come from the situation.

"Let's just pray that everything turns out for the better," a statement which the two of the agreed with, but as they weren't the type to leave things up the chance, they were going to do everything they could to make the fallout more agreeable to them. The first thing they were going to have to do was appoint a new Kage as soon as possible, and their only choice wasn't that much of a choice at all.

~~~~~~~~~~Outside a Random Hot Spring~~~~~~~~~~

"Heh, heh, heh... This is perfect, all the info I need for my next book!" Jiraiya muttered to himself excitedly as he looked through a convenient hole into the baths of the hot springs. The man was surprised that women actually still came to these baths, thanks to a certain yellowed haired brat, he was getting known as a pervert. Said fact didn't suit his info gathering missions well, as he wasn't able to gain as much info from the village, but rather having to go to other remote hot springs.

'Oh well, it would appear that this place is still virgin territory,' he thought to himself as he wrote down notes while continuing to watch the women interact with each other. Due to his intense concentration, he didn't detect the newcomer, so he was genuinely surprised when his name was called out from the blue.

"What was that?" One of the women asked after the name was uttered, soon after a loud crash was heard along with a plume of dust rising not to far away from the springs. Jiraiya, in his anger of being discovered, charged the person that had said his name. He had managed to restrain himself however, and didn't kill the poor Ebisu that had been charged with bringing him to the Hokage Palace.

"What do you want?" asked a very angry Jirayia, who was standing over the prone Ebisu. This was all very degrading to the elite ninja trainer, who prided himself in being better then other ninjas. Though, he was willing to let this go because of the fact that this was one of the Sannin. However, it still stung like when Naruto exposed him for being a closet pervert.

"The council want to speak to you," Ebisu replied, getting up off the ground and dusting himself off as he did so. Now that his mission was complete and such, he headed off. While he wished he knew why the council wanted to speak to Jiraiya, it wasn't his place to ask, so he just delivered the message to the man.

"Odd, the last time they talked to me was when they offered me the position of Kage, I wonder what they want this time," due to his curiosity, Jiraiya actually headed off right away to see the two council members. He had to take a break in his information gathering anyhow, since he had been discovered he would have to give it some time before he went back to the hot spring.

~~~~~~~~~~The Hokage Palace~~~~~~~~~

"You have to be kidding..." was all Jiraiya could say after reading what Tsunade had left behind. It was actually the third time reading the piece of paper, he just couldn't believe what he was reading was the truth. After going through all of the trouble of getting her here in the first place, just to have her leave not so long afterwards. Also, there was the fact that he cared for her and for the ninja that she had taken with her.

"Why'd she leave?" Jiraiya questioned, wanting to know why she'd leave the village that she had vowed to protect.

"We don't know," the two of the replied, conveniently not thinking to mention the argument they had with Tsunade about banishing Naruto. "However, the village needs a Kage or else it will fall to the other villages, we are offering you the position."

"Always straight to the point I see," Jiraiya stated, remembering when they asked that of him the first time around. However, now there wasn't any other choice in the matter, and this time he felt it would be a good idea to take the position. Not to mention, it would give him the power to figure out what was going on with this whole situation.

"Fine, I'll accept your offer," Jiraiya answered, now becoming the sixth Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Taking the newly made Hokage's hat, Jiraiya went to his new office and started working on the reasons for Tsunade's reasons for leaving. He prayed she didn't betray Konoha, because then he'd kill the woman himself. There wasn't much in this world that he cared about more then this village, his home.

"Why Tsunade, why?" he asked aloud sitting at his new desk.

~~~~~~~~~~Overlooking Sauske's Physical prison~~~~~~~~~~

The observers watching the ninja turned traitor were currently occupying themselves with a Majhong tournament. The stakes were high, and they were all using as many cheats as possible, so you could say they were very preoccupied. Thus, if something were to happen, like for instance some chakra disturbances occurring in the prison that was currently housing Sauske.

While there had been disturbances already, these were a tad different then were happening before. Rather, instead of random bouts of red and purple chakra fighting against each other, there was now a different green chakra forming in the room. It would also seem that with this new green chakra, the pain that Sauske had been going through had gone down, as he seemed to actually be resting halfway decently. Not that any of the medical people noticed this, as they were busy with their Majhong.

Sauske's physiology was going through some changes due to this chaotic chakra that was battling in his body. To survive, his own body had to adapt itself to counter the horrible forces fighting inside him. What this would bring about, no one could no, and this event would go without notice as the medical officers didn't even care that much for the Uchiha. If he was willing to leave the village, he could die for all they cared.

Well, that was a long wait for this chapter that has no action. But basically, there are three things going on in this chapter. Some Team Tsunade stuff, Jiraiya becoming the Kage, and some introduction to some Sauske changes.

Next chapter, the cat will come out of the bag about Tsunade leaving and the reactions of the peoplez. Some Team Tsunade action, and some other stuffs.

Thanks for reading and such, again sorry for the wait. Hope you enjoyed.


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